African Intelligence notes that Ali Bongo gave the verbal permission to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the strategic project. The project irked France, the former colonial power and the U.S.A., the media notes. Stephen J. Townsend, Commander of the United States Africa Command from 26 July 2019 to 8 August 2022, reportedly warned the U.S. Congress against Chinese military presence in the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. Ali Bongo met with Xi in April during a state visit to Beijing. Beijing called on the transitional power to guarantee the safety of the man that Xi qualified during the April visit as an “old friend”.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 08, 2023 12:04 UTC